Masterpiece: Confetti, 1894
by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Pronounced: Ahn-ree day Too-Loos Lo-trek
Keywords: Printmaking, Movement, Lines
Grade:
3rd Grade
Month:
December/January
Activity:
Self Portrait Face Card
TIME:
1.25 hours
Meet the Artist:
• He was born to a French aristocratic
family in 1864.
• At 13, he fractured his right thigh bone
and at age 14, the left thigh bone. Due to
a medical condition the bones did not heal
correctly so his legs stopped growing. His
torso, head and arms continued to grow to
normal, adult size but his legs remained
child-sized. Causing him to grow to only
4’11”.
• Since he was physically unable to do many activities, he became deeply
involved in the art world of Paris and became an important PostImpressionist painter, illustrator and lithographer. Other PostImpressionist painters included Cezanne, Van Gogh and Gauguin.
• His work was exciting and elegant and captured many details of the
carefree, decadent, and gaudy lifestyle of Parisians during the turn of the
century –fin de siècle- with brilliant color and movement.
• He is most known for his printmaking. When the famous Moulin Rouge
cabaret opened its doors in 1889, Toulouse-Lautrec was commissioned to
produce a series of posters of their dancers, singers and entertainers. He
became best known as a chronicler of the night life of late 19th century in
the Montmartre District of Paris.
• Throughout his 20-year art career, he created a large collection of
paintings, drawings, lithographs and posters to help businesses sell their
products or celebrate an event.
• The poster “Confetti”, Toulouse-Lautrec ingeniously uses his spatter
technique to suggest a new brand of confetti created by the leading paper
manufacturers Bella Brothers in London. Up until 1892, plaster confetti was
used during the annual Mardi Gras celebrations. However its use was
•
outlawed in 1892 after injuring several people. The Bella Brothers were also
key supporters in a new form of art…the poster. Their Toulouse-Lautrec
poster graced the cover of the catalogue they prepared for England's first
poster exhibition in 1895.
At a 2005 auction in the U.S., one of his early paintings, “La Blanchisseuse”
(The Laundress), sold for a record $22.4 million. Images of other works by
Lautrec can be found in a PowerPoint presentation on the CD located in the
binder. Please show students these works.
•
Unfortunately, he died at a young age of 37, in 1901 of alcoholism.
What is Printmaking?
Note to the Volunteers: Use as
much of the information below as
you see necessary.
Printmaking is the process of
producing multiple artworks of the
same piece from one original
surface. In order to do this, the
artist selects a surface to create a
“master plate” from which multiple
images are to be made. This
surface could be wood, linoleum,
rubber, styrofoam, metal,
cardboard, stone or any one of a
number of materials. Then the
artist prepares the printing plate
by cutting, etching or drawing an
image onto the plate. Ink is applied
(in a variety of ways) and paper is
pressed onto the plate either by
hand or by way of a hand-run
printing press. The finished print is
pulled from the plate.
There are four main types of
modern day printmaking:
1- Intaglio. This describes prints
that are made by cutting the picture into the surface of the printing plate.
Using a sharp V-shaped tool - called a burin - the printmaker gouges the lines
of an image into the surface of a smooth polished sheet of metal or in some
cases a piece of plexiglass. To make a print, ink is pushed into the lines of
the design. The surface is then wiped clean so that the only areas with ink
are the lines. A sheet of paper which has been soaked in water is then placed
on the plate which is run through a printing press. The paper is literally
forced into the small lines that have been cut into the plate. A variation of
this technique is known as etching. With etching, acids are used to eat into
the metal plate.
2- Planography or Lithography. Relief prints (see below) are created from a
raised surface, and intaglio prints are created from a cut surface.
Planography however, is the printing of a flat surface. In Lithography, a flat
stone (limestone) or metal plate is used and a method based on the simple
fact that grease attracts grease as it repels water. A design or image is
drawn on the surface with a greasy material - grease crayon, pencil or ink and then water and printing ink are applied. The greasy parts absorb the ink
and the wet parts do not. Acids are often used with this type of printmaking
to etch the stone and prevent grease from traveling where it should not. For
example, if a finger is placed on the surface, enough grease is transferred
and as such, the fingerprint will attract the ink. Unfortunately, lithography
is a printing process which requires the use of proper facilities and
materials. Lithography was invented in 1798. Its main advantage is that the
artist can reproduce a large amount of prints from the plate.
3- Relief Printing. This is printing from a raised surface. A simple example of
relief printing is a rubber stamp pressed into a stamp pad and pressed onto a
piece of paper. Relief printing plates are made from flat sheets of material
such as wood, linoleum, metal, styrofoam etc. After drawing a picture on the
surface, the artist uses tools to cut away the areas that will not print. A
roller - called a brayer - is used to spread ink on the plate. A sheet of paper
is placed on top of the plate and the image is transferred by rubbing with
the hand or a block of wood, or by being run through a printing press. The
completed print is a mirror image of the original plate.
4- Stencil: Serigraphy (Silk). A stencil is a sheet of paper, fabric, plastic,
metal or other material with designs cut, perforated or punched from it. Ink
is forced through the openings onto the surface (paper, fabric etc.) to be
printed. Sometimes called silk screening, serigraphy (seri means silk) is a
type of stencil printing. A stencil is fastened to a sheet of silk which is
tightly stretched across a wooden frame. Or, an area of the silk is "blocked
out" using glue, gum arabic or shellac. The frame is placed against the
material to be printed. A squeegee (rubber mounted in wooden handle) is
used to push the ink through the open areas onto the material or paper
below.
Possible Questions:
• Is there movement in print? Where?
• What is the first thing you see in this print? Why? Where does your eye go
next?
• If the words “confetti” were not written on this poster, how would you
understand this? What do you think it would be communicating to the
viewer?
• Does the poster motivate you enough to want to purchase confetti or a big
yellow hat?
• Does it look like posters you would see today advertising movies, music,
vacation spots, or sporting events? What is different?
• What type of music or sounds would you associate with this print?
• How does it make you feel?
• What do you like best about it? Least?
Activity:
Self Portrait Face Cards
Materials Needed: copies of the Face Card Template (one for each student);
scratch-foam board (cut in half for 6”x9”); student’s own pencil; wooden cuticle
sticks; 9”x12” heavy manila paper; orange, red, green, blue, purple, and black block
printing ink; brayers (art roller with a handle); plastic trays (for rolling out ink);
PVC “rolling pins”; paper towels; paper plates; butcher paper to cover the
workstations and butcher paper for the prints to dry on.
Explain activity: Students will create a relief print of themselves as a face card
using the same ‘stylized’ face of a playing card but include an image that
represents them such as sports, hobby, or other interest. To help them do this,
students will design their self-portrait on the playing card template and transfer it
to the scratch-foam sheet. They will “run” two prints using one paint color to be
applied using the brayer (art roller with a handle) on one piece of paper. Note to
Art Guide: Find an area in the hallway or classroom where you can spread the
butcher paper out. Also, examples of Face Cards created by other Students can be
found on the CD under the Toulouse-Lautrec lesson.
Process:
1. Have students gathered in their circle time area for the lesson about the
artist while the other art guide sets up the classroom. Push together four
desks to create 6 workstations and cover each workstation with butcher
paper. In the center of each workstation, place a tray (for rolling out ink)
and a tube of the printing ink, a brayer (place brayer on a paper plate), roll
of masking tape, and two PVC rollers. At each desk, have the Face Card
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Template and cuticle sticks ready for each student. Students will use their
own pencils for the sketch.
When lesson is finished have students return to their desk and begin their
stylized self-portrait in center area of the Face Card Template. Remind
them to include their trademark image in the portrait and to include
different line styles such as short strokes, hatches, dots or point. Have
them think about what suit they will be (Club, Spade, Diamond, or Heart) and
court (K, Q, or J).
When finished with their portrait, give them a 6”x9” foam sheet. They will
attach their sketch to the foam (tape with masking tape) along the top (9”)
edge and transfer their image (portrait, court and suit) by pressing down the
lines through the paper to indent the scratch-foam sheet with the cuticle
stick. Note: the text is reversed! Don’t forget the frame around their
image.
Lift up the Face Card Template to make sure their image has transferred
before they remove it. They should deepen their lines directly onto the
scratch-foam sheet...the blunt end of the cuticle stick is used for wider
lines and point for finer lines. **Important**the lines need to be deep
without tearing the scratch-foam. This doesn’t require a lot of pressure.
After the students are finished pressing their lines, give them the 9”x12”
manila paper. Have them write their name on back of paper and foam sheet
before they go to a paint color station of their choice. They are to take
their foam sheet and the manila paper
with them.
There are six printing stations set up
around the room. Each student will
make two prints today – one on the
top and one on the bottom of their
manila paper. They will match as close
as possible in the center if done
correctly.
At the color station, students may
squeeze about a quarter-sized amount
of block ink onto the tray. Roll the
brayer back and forth in the ink until
it is covered with an even layer and
then roll the ink onto their foam
sheet. They may need more ink but
watch to see they use it wisely. Have
student spread the ink smooth with
the brayer so there is an even layer
completely coating the foam. Remind them that the areas they don’t paint
will remain white and not transfer onto the paper. They must work quickly so
ink doesn’t dry.
8. Once their foam sheet is coated with ink, line up the foam sheet along the 9”
side of the manila paper. Smooth the paper out using the PVC “rolling pin” to
transfer the paint. Carefully pull the paper back from one end; repeat the
inking process in #7 and line up the foam along the other end of the manila
paper. The center should match up.
9. Place the print and the scratch foam on the butcher paper to dry.
6” CL